by Becky Andrus | Feb 2, 2021 | Feature Writers, High School Sports
Covering all 22 OAA teams with insight and thoughts on each team from Northern Oakland County to Southern Oakland County.
Tuesday, February 2, 2021
It Didn’t Have To Be This Way.
Written Tuesday February 2nd at 9:30 AM
It didn’t have to be this way.
This isn’t about politics.
It’s to let them play.
“The Let Them Play” movement rallied on Saturday just to have their Winter Sports back. There were legendary players like Andre Rison and Darren McCarty there to support the student-athletes just to let them play. Also college basketball coaches in Greg Kampe, Tom Izzo, Juwan Howard, among others support the student-athletes to just let them play.
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services have refused to hear their pleas.
They had no choice and now sadly it’s going to be played out in a courtroom.
It didn’t have to be.
“The Let Them Play” movement on Tuesday confirmed by FOX 17’s Zach Harig sued Whitmer and the MDHHS just to let student-athletes from cheerleading, basketball, wrestling, and hockey to play and start their seasons.
This has garnered national attention. This is the third time that “The Let Them Play” movement protested at the State Capitol in Lansing during the 2020-2021 school year.
Whitmer and the MDHHS extended “the pause” last week to include these five sports which is set to expire on February 21st.
So why aren’t these four contact sports haven’t started their seasons despite most of the United States whom have more coronavirus cases than Michigan are playing???
The data from the MDHHS when they did their antigen test program for football, volleyball, and girls swimming and diving showed a 99.8 and a 99.6 percent negative test rate.
This comes down to trust.
Does Whitmer and the MDHHS trust schools especially athletic directors, superintendents, support staff, and coaches to do the right thing???
This is clearly a lose-lose for Whitmer and the MDHHS.
Here is another question, is this really about public health??? Restaurants, casinos, bars, and in person learning in schools are open despite strict restrictions but they can’t play a basketball game, cheer, wrestle, or play hockey???
Something is not right.
The mental health has been and always will be beyond paramount. Depression and suicides have been rising since “the pause” went into effect. There have been two student-athletes in the state that have taken their lives including a hockey player in Muskegon because of the coronavirus restrictions.
The suicides are something that Whitmer and the MDHHS are morally responsible.
Whitmer mentioned in an email that it’s because of the close contact that makes these four contact sports more risky and the arrival of the new B.1.1.1.7 variant coronavirus strain. I was very thankful that Whitmer wrote back but I had more questions than answers.
Football and volleyball were done safely and with spring sports on the horizon it will be easier to socially distance and competitions are outdoors with the exception of water polo which is in a pool.
This is the most important time of a young man and woman’s life especially if they are a senior. To play a sport they love with their friends and family. The bonds that are grown with teammates and coaches those will forever be cherished.
Teams are like a family. They are basically a family.
If there isn’t a season especially for the seniors they won’t be able to get it back.
These student-athletes are going to be your future voters. The future of the state. They are certainly going to remember all of this.
It has become clear that these student-athletes have lost faith in their state government.
It didn’t need to happen.
It didn’t have to happen this way.
I don’t know what will happen next but it’s the eye of the storm.
by Becky Andrus | Feb 2, 2021 | Regional News
Gov. Whitmer: State has Administered Over One Million Vaccines, Making Michigan 7th in the Country
Governor urges the legislature once again to pass the MI COVID Relief Plan prioritizing vaccine distribution
LANSING, Mich. — Today, Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced that the State of Michigan has administered over one million safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines, making us 7th in the country in vaccine distribution. The governor called on the Michigan Legislature once again to pass the MI COVID Relief Plan she announced last week. The governor’s plan will appropriate $90 million in federal funding to ramp up vaccine distribution in Michigan and bring the state closer to the governor’s goal of 50,000 shots in arms per day.
“Michigan is ramping up vaccine distribution and doing everything we can to reach our goal of 50,000 shots in arms per day. Reaching this milestone is good news for our families, frontline workers, and small business owners, but there is more work to do,” said Governor Whitmer. “My administration is working closely with the federal government to help us get the supply we need to reach our goal and return to the normalcy we all crave. I ask for patience from Michiganders as our frontline workers work around the clock to administer vaccines. I am also ready to work with the Michigan Legislature in a bipartisan way to pass the MI COVID Relief plan focused on vaccine distribution, supporting small businesses, and getting our kids back in school safely. Ending this pandemic requires that we put partisanship aside and roll up our sleeves together. Let’s get to work.”
“The state has been hard at work administering the safe and effective COVID vaccine, and we have made great strides over the past several weeks,” said Chief Medical Executive and MDHHS Chief Deputy for Health Dr. Joneigh Khaldun. “One of the most important things Michiganders can do right now is to make a plan to get the safe and effective vaccine when it becomes available to you. The state and our partners in health care and business will continue working day and night to reach our goal of 50,000 shots in arms per day. And until we end the pandemic, remember to mask up, practice safe social distancing, and avoid indoor gatherings where the virus can spread easily from person to person.”
“Our dedicated members of the Michigan National Guard are working hard to administer vaccines across the state,” said Maj. Gen. Paul Rogers, Adjutant General and Director of Michigan’s Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. “The men and women of the Michigan National Guard have been proud to assist the state in Michigan’s COVID-19 response, whether it’s by testing, administering vaccines, or ensuring families across the state have the food they need to get through the pandemic. We will continue working in partnership with the governor, Dr. Khaldun, and their teams to end the pandemic once and for all.”
In December, Congress appropriated $90 million in additional resources for vaccine distribution in Michigan through the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act. The governor’s plan will use this federal funding to ramp up vaccine distribution in Michigan and bring us closer to our goal of 50,000 shots in arms per day. This funding will help provide financial support to local health departments for vaccine administration costs, including staff augmentation, as well as provide equipment and supplies. Michigan will also receive $575 million to expand COVID testing, tracing, and lab capacity in Michigan.
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by Becky Andrus | Feb 1, 2021 | Environmental
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Feb. 1, 2021
Nick Assendelft, Public Information Officer, AssendelftN@Michigan.gov, 517-388-3135
Brandy Brown, Climate and Energy Advisor, BrownB3@Michigan.gov, 517-284-6710
Climate justice leaders will develop equity-based framework to guide MI Healthy Climate Plan
A panel of climate and environmental justice experts was named today to develop a justice and equity-based framework for the development and implementation of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s MI Healthy Climate Plan, which calls for a transition to a carbon-neutral Michigan by 2050 that includes communities disproportionately affected by climate change.
The five-member Climate Justice Brain Trust will help guide the Office of Climate and Energy’s work in identifying barriers that impede environmental justice communities from realizing the benefits of the energy sector’s transition to cleaner energy sources. It will provide guidance on appropriate climate adaptation, mitigation and clean energy investments from a climate justice perspective.
“The impacts of climate change are being felt all across Michigan and we need to be aggressive in planning for a future that will look a lot different than today,” said Liesl Clark, director of the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy, which includes the Office of Climate and Energy. “That’s why the work of the Climate Justice Brain Trust is so important. By developing guidance that centers on equity, the Brain Trust will help incorporate all Michiganders, including communities in transition, in the path forward.”
The volunteer members of the panel are:
- Theresa Landrum of Detroit is a community activist with the 48217 Community Monitoring Group.
- Bryan Lewis of Detroit is the executive director of EcoWorks.
- Justin Onwenu of Detroit is the health communities and environmental justice organizer at the Sierra Club.
- John Petosky of Northport is an associate attorney at Environmental Law & Policy Center and a member of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians.
- Tony Reames of Farmington Hills is an assistant professor of Environmental Justice at the School of Environment and Sustainability at the University of Michigan.
“The concepts of equity and justice are critical to how we as a state move forward to address climate change,” said Regina Strong, the state’s Environmental Justice Public Advocate. “By setting a framework for what an equitable carbon neutral future should look like in Michigan, the experts on the Brain Trust ensure a diversity of voices and experiences as we develop the MI Healthy Climate Plan.”
The Climate Justice Brain Trust will identify:
- Challenges, barriers and needs of climate justice communities.
- Vision and guidance to achieve an equitable and just carbon-neutral Michigan.
- Key policy areas to address climate justice issues.
“We look forward to incorporating the expertise of the Climate Justice Brain Trust into the MI Healthy Climate Plan to ensure that climate solutions are equitable for all Michiganders,” said Dr. Brandy Brown, Climate and Energy Advisor.
The Climate Justice Brain Trust and the Office of Climate and Energy will work jointly with the Office of the Environmental Justice Public Advocate to identify ways to integrate environmental justice efforts into ongoing climate work.
The Climate Justice Brain Trust will serve as an advisory resource on issues of climate justice for the members of the Michigan Council on Climate Solutions. The Council will advise EGLE in identifying and recommending opportunities for the development and effective implementation of emissions-reduction strategies as part of the MI Healthy Climate Plan. |
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by Becky Andrus | Feb 1, 2021 | Regional News
February 1, 2021
Media Contact: Lynda Robinson, 313-348-8220
The Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency has completed system updates for the recently extended federal unemployment insurance (UI) programs. All remaining Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) and Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) claimants whose claims ended when CARES Act programs were interrupted in December can now either reopen, certify or apply for benefits available under the Continued Assistance Act (CAA). Claimants were notified from the UIA with information and instructions regarding the changes.
The CAA allows PEUC and PUA claimants an additional 11 weeks of benefits payable for the week ending Jan. 2 through March 13, 2021. Payments also include the additional $300 Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) weekly benefit.
PUA
- New PUA claims can now be filed online at michigan.gov/uia.
- PUA claimants who exhausted their original entitlement of benefits prior to Dec. 26, 2020 can also now reopen their claim to receive an additional 11 weeks of benefits, payable retroactively, beginning with the week ending Jan. 2, 2021. Claimants have or will receive notification by email, through their MiWAM account or by mail alerting them to the availability of the additional weeks.
- A new provision under the CAA requires PUA claimants to submit proof of employment or self-employment to maintain eligibility. For example, claimants need documentation showing their employment or self-employment for the tax year prior to when they filed their original claim for benefits. Individuals who filed their original PUA claim in 2020 need documentation to support employment in 2019. New PUA applications filed in 2021 should include supportive documentation of employment in 2020.
- Appropriate documents can include tax documents, paycheck stubs, state or federal employer identification numbers, business licenses, business receipts or a signed affidavit.
- Claimants should not submit this documentation until they receive a notice instructing them where to upload it and the timelines for doing so.
PEUC
- PEUC claimants who exhausted their previous entitlement will be able to reopen their claim to receive an additional 11 weeks of benefits, payable retroactively, beginning with the week ending Jan. 2, 2021. Claimants have or will receive notification by email, through their MiWAM account or by mail alerting them to the availability of the additional weeks.
- Workers on regular state UI benefits will no longer receive the PEUC extension automatically. The CAA now requires workers to submit an application. Once a worker has exhausted their state UI benefits, they will need to log into their MiWAM account and click on, “Additional Information Required – click here to file an extension.”
“We’re pleased to have restored the federal programs that so many workers in our state are depending on. These are vital programs that have helped Michiganders provide for their families as we continue to navigate COVID-19,” said Liza Estlund Olson, acting director of the UIA. “While this is a huge step forward, we know there’s still more work to do to ensure everyone receives the benefits they are entitled to.”
One final provision the Agency continues to develop is the Mixed Earners Unemployment Compensation (MEUC) program, which allows workers who earned at least $5,000 in self-employment income to apply for an additional $100 per week in supplemental benefits. MEUC is payable from Dec. 27, 2020 through March 13, 2021.
Claimants should continue to monitor their MiWAM account and the UIA website for updates.
by Becky Andrus | Feb 1, 2021 | Regional News
Governor Whitmer Makes Appointments to State Officers Compensation Commission
LANSING, Mich. — Governor Gretchen Whitmer today announced the following appointments to the State Officers Compensation Commission:
Robert L. Emerson, of Lansing, previously served as a state representative, state senator, and state budget director. Following his public service, Emerson worked as a consultant with McAlvey, Merchant & Associates until his retirement in 2015. He succeeds Nancy Jenkins whose term has expired.
Vincent Gregory, of Lathrup Village, most recently served as a state senator and state representative. Gregory has also served as an Oakland County commissioner and a detective with the Wayne County Sheriff’s Department. He succeeds James Hallen whose term has expired.
Sheryl Y. Kennedy, Ph.D., of Davison, most recently served as a state representative for the 48th House District. Prior to elected office, Kennedy served as an educator, principal, and lecturer at the University of Michigan. She succeeds Dan DeGrow whose term has expired.
Appointments to the State Officers Compensation Commission are for 4-year terms and are not subject to the advice and consent of the Senate.
The State Officers Compensation Commission was created by Article IV, Section 12 of the Michigan Constitution of 1963 and Public Act 357 of 1968. The Commission shall determine the salaries and expense allowances of the members of the Legislature, the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor, the Attorney General, the Secretary of State, and the Justices of the Supreme Court.
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